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Big Boost for Youth Volunteering
Jun 11, 2008
Positive News Issue 56 |
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Wildlife is set to get a helping hand from a network of young volunteers, as Dorset Wildlife Trust has recently been awarded £176,000 from v, the youth volunteering charity. The generous grant will enable the Trust to embark on a three year long project setting up a network of youth-led environmental groups.
Steve Davis, volunteering programme manager at Dorset Wildlife Trust, said: “The grant will allow us to offer lots of environmental volunteer opportunities, specifically to people aged 16 to 25. As well as helping out on established nature reserves, they will also work on projects in parks and open spaces, within towns and cities, to increase the wildlife value of these important sites and benefit the wider community.”
Julie Fulton, The Wildlife Trusts’ head of people and wildlife, said: “The long-term future of the UK’s wildlife is in the hands of children and young people. This is why it’s so important for them to experience nature and wildlife first hand.”
Dorset’s youth volunteering project is just one of 152 projects across the country, which will be funded by v as part of vinvolved – a new national youth volunteering programme, which aims to inspire half a million more young people to volunteer in England.
Vinvolved has been designed by and for young people to make volunteering a compelling choice for all 16-25 year olds in England, by tapping into their passions and concerns. The charity aims to change the image of volunteering and turn it into a ‘must-have’ part of young people’s lives.
Terry Ryall, v’s chief executive, said: “Young people are at the heart of this new programme which aims to put them at the centre of our communities. So, instead of seeing them as a problem to be fixed, we are giving them the chance to become a positive force for change.”
Contact: Steve Davis, Volunteers’ Support Officer, tel: +44 (0)1202 692033
Website: www.dorsetwildlife.co.uk
Photo: © The Wildlife Trusts
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